Monday, November 5, 2007
Instant replay?
The time has finally arisen. Next week general managers from all around Major League Baseball will deliberate whether or not they should implement instant replay into games for the upcoming season. (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3092628). Personally I think it is about damn time they did adopt instant replay. Major League Baseball should have implemented instant replay as soon right when NFL did. There have been way to many close calls in games. Even more importantly many games have been decided by bad calls. Just by one bad call, teams can loose a slot in the playoffs or even a shot at the Wild Card. Remember the Wild Card Playoff between the Rockies and the Padres? The Rockies left fielder Matt Holiday supposedly touched the home plate underneath Michael Barret's cleat. When I looked at the instant replay there was no sign of him touching the seat therefore the run should not have counted and maybe the Rockies should not have advanced to the playoffs and eventually the World Series. This shows that instant replay would be a great and important addition. So many plays in baseball can be justified in one simple replay. MLB should take advantage of this opportunity to adopt instant replay. As I said before the NFL has used it and has had tremendous success with it. Major League Baseball might as well follow the trend of the highest grossing sport in America. MLB get to it.
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7 comments:
Bloom - I can see where you’re coming from and that the MLB needs to adapt because they need to catch up with the rest of the world. However, the umpire is part of the game. Mistakes can be made and have it be part of the game. The umpires need to be able to make the call and not rely on instant replay. I understand that there have been close calls that can affect the game but its part of the game. Teams can lose the playoffs, even the World Series. It is all part of the game and teams need to be able to deal with it. There could’ve been a difference of the outcome if the umpires had looked at the instant replay but I feel that baseball shouldn’t adapt instant replay just because other sports did. Baseball needs to be its own sport. Just because the NFL is doing well with instant replay doesn’t mean it will work well in the MLB. Baseball needs to be its own game because it is!
Bloom, I agree with you on your opinion that the MLB needs to implement instant replay. However, I believe that there should be restrictions on what can and can't be reviewed. I think plays in the field like; whether or not a runner was safe or if a fielder caught or trapped a fly ball should be reviewed. I think that balls and strikes should not be reviewable because that would mean that almost every play in a game could be reviewd. Plus taking away the Umpires power to call balls and strikes would completely eliminate their impact on a game. The umpires influence on a game is one of the most basic principles of the game of baseball. Completely eliminating that would make the game boring and eliminate the need for umpires when you can just use instant replay to just make all the calls in a game. Instant replay will be good for baseball but, it should be used accordingly.
I agreee with you when you say that instant replay should be put into baseball. There have been to many close calls in baseball that went the wrong way. This can be avoided by using instant replay to help make the calls. If instant replay is put into baseball then teams won't be screwed when a bad call is made and they may be able to win important games like in the playoff's.
I agree Bloom; I too think that instant replay should be brought into the MLB. I think that the game of baseball would benefit tremendously from instant replay. However, I do think there should be restrictions if instant replay reaches the MLB. I think instant replay should be only be used on certain plays throughout the game. For example: on balls that are hit that are close to the yellow line that surrounds the outfield wall, home-run balls that are questionable if they are fair or foul. Also close runs at the plate should be reviewable, especially if that run is the tying or winning one. I don't agree with using instant replay to determine strikes or balls because that would take entirely too long and would take away the position of the umpire. The main reason why I support implementing instant replay in the MLB is because I watched the wild card playoff between the Padres and Rockies, and that game was filled with controversial and questionable calls that changed the momentum and complex of the game. Those calls ultimately decided which team advanced to the playoffs and which team went home. If instant replay was in the MLB at the time of that game we might have watched a different National League team compete with the Red Sox in the World Series.
I agree with you immensely. I too think that the MLB should stray away from judgment calls and move into the instant replay era. How many times have you heard an announcer say,"The Umpire really blew that call" or "It seemed as though he was safe" The NFL has had great success as Bloom states and it is obvious that it works. I know that the replay would just be for home run calls but I think that they should take that a step further. Close plays at the plate or at each base should even be reviewed. I would even go as far as saying that they should review controversial catches in the field. I truly think that this can only have a positive effect on the game since it is just going to make calls more accurate and there are cameras everywhere, time to put them to good use for a change.
Mark I agree and disagree with you on this issue. Yes baseball finally has done the right thing. Football, basketball and hockey have already adapted the replay system. But first of all it should be for fair and foul balls not only homeruns. There are as many arguments with homeruns then there are with fair and foul balls. But it is so hard for umpires to see with the naked eye where the ball lands. But the reason I disagree with it is that it would make the game so much longer. Games are already around 3 hours with not alot of action. For example football games can have a little break becuause it is so fast paced that it doesn't take away from the game. But for baseball it could make the game even longer and more boring. But in the end I do agree with having replay.
Ok Bloom, I agree with you to an extent on this posting. MLB needs to adapt because they need to catch up with the rest of the world. However, the umpire is part of the game. I understand that there have been close calls that can affect the game but it’s part of the game. The umpires influence on a game is one of the most basic principles of the game of baseball. However I do realize that if instant replay is put into baseball then teams won't be screwed when a bad call is made and they may be able to win important games like in the playoffs. This is an issue that the MLB is going to have to really look at.
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